Read the text for Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, which you can find at the following link:MLK's "I Have a Dream" Speech
Then, in a comment, explain where you would plot this speech on the Golden Mean Triangle. Give specific examples of where Dr. King uses the intellectual, the emotional, and the material (specific or concrete). Does he lean toward one of these more than the other? Etc.
I would place this essay pretty balanced in the Golden Mean Triangle. I might place it a little closer to emotion because I feel Martin Luther King really tries to make people feel genuine bad for the horrors black people were put through.
ReplyDeleteExamples:
Intellectual- relating the equality of all men to the Declaration of Independence and relations also to the Emancipation Proclamation
Emotional- explaining struggles of a black man in the current time's society (cannot vote or have nothing to vote), relating to both black people and white people as being God's children (religious)
Material- saying how America will never be peaceful until Black people are granted equal rights, saying that he hopes 1963 will be the beginning of blacks being granted citizenship rights
I would place Martin Luther King's speech right in the middle of the Golden Mean Triangle. He does a great job of appealing to people's emotions, their thoughts, and what they know (material).
ReplyDeleteAn example to show him using both emotional and material is: This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
He uses "My country, 'tis of thee", a popular song (the material aspect) to access people's emotions.
An example of him using intellectual is: "This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
He uses words from the Declaration of Independence, which obviously means he is well educated. This shows us that he is well educated and people are more willing to listen to people who know what they are talking about.
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ReplyDeleteI would plot this speech directly in the center of the Golden Mean Triangle. I think that Martin Luther King balances the intellectual, emotional and material content very well. I think the order of his speech was arranged perfectly because he gives evidence that effectively uses one or more parts of the triangle at the right time. Also, I think the reason he creates such a perfect balance between the three parts of the Golden Mean Triangle is because he would make one statement or give one piece of evidence that uses two or all three parts of the triangle at once. For example, Mr. King says, "when the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."" This statement is material because he is quoting the Declaration of Independence. Also, he is tugging at the audience's emotions because he is showing the black men and women that they deserve to have the same opportunities as white men and women. In addition, the way that he ties everything together uses the intellectual part of the triangle. Another instance when Mr. King uses all three parts of the triangle is when Mr. King lists all the things that he dreams of, such as, "a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."" I feel like in this quote he is strongly pulling on the emotions of the audience, but at the same time he is still using a material fact. Then, the way that he brings it all together is using the intellectual part of the triangle.
ReplyDeleteTowards the beginning of the speech I would have said that it leans more towards intellectual. The opening few paragraph are about how we built a country based on the Declaration of Independence that stated that all men should be entitled to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," including black men. He also refers to the Emancipation Proclamation as a basis for bringing up how black people are still not completely free.
ReplyDeleteAfter that, I feel like his argument definitely leans more towards emotional and material. Everything down to his word choice is designed to create some sort of a emotion inside the listener or reader. Throughout his speech his refers to brotherhood among people, which makes the listener feel connected to his words because now they are personal. He also says, "Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends." The sentence could have stopped after today, but by adding "my friends" he manages to once again connect with the listener so that they feel individually spoken to. Materialism is also present in a lot of the emotional parts of the piece. He packs the emotional parts of the speech with images and specific material examples. One example is, "we can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities." (Once again he chooses to say our bodies to make the listener connect.) Overall, he ends up creating a very well balanced, memorable speech.
In his "I have a dream speech", Martin Luther King Jr. does a great job of including all aspects of the golden mean triangle, and having a pretty good balance of them. Overall, though, I would have to say that his speech has a little bit more of an emotional appeal.
ReplyDeleteFirst, for intellectual, King says "This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice." Here, he is referring to the Emancipation Proclamation, a document which granted freedom to slaves. He elevates the intelligence of his speech by referring to an important document in American history. Later on King says, ""This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Again he brings in a good understanding of American history by citing the Declaration of Independence, thus appealing to the intellect in his speech.
Second, regarding material, King says "We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote." Here, King brings up a real scenario in order to influence people's material thoughts.
Finally, and perhaps the most important, King really focuses on the emotional aspect of his speech. I think this is really important because segregation has a great emotional affect; we know it's wrong, especially for moral reasons. I really believe that all of the phrases at the end of the speech that begin with "I have a dream" appeal to our emotions. One example is when King says, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." This sentence particularly appeals to my emotions because we know it's only fair that everyone has an equal chance in life. King also makes this personal by talking about his own kids, therefore appealing to other parents who want their kids to have equal chances. Another example of King's emotional appeal is when he says "I have a dream that ...one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers." Again, this appeals to our emotions because we know one racial group isn't "better" than another, and race shouldn't be a reason why people can't talk to one another.
I would put this speech directly in the middle of the Golden Means Triangle. Martin Luther King Jr. relies heavily on all three; the emotional, the intellectual, and the material. He is very good at targeting all three but the emotional part invokes the biggest reaction in my personally. By saying, "But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred," MLK is getting all people involved in the Civil Rights Movement excited with the idea of real freedom. He is also telling them to stay strong in their good ethics, not to sink to the low emotional level their persecutors have reached. Lastly, he uses religious phrases and comparisons to religiously excite all the people, saying if God is on their side they must win. MLK touches upon the intellectual by taking quotes or ideas from the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves. An example of him pulling an idea is he says, "Five score years ago," which is an adaptation of the famous first words of the hallowed, succinct speech by Abraham Lincoln. This makes us revert to our knowledge of the speech and what the purpose was. To conclude, MLK uses material also in his speech. He says, "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." This makes the listener think about a state in the deep south that is famous for its slavery concretely. Its not just an idea, it is an obvious connection that appeals to the concrete side of listeners. Overall this speech is very balanced in the Golden Means Triangle.
ReplyDeleteI would place Martin luther King Jr.'s speech right in the middle of the Golden Mean Triangle. However, in my opinion, he does lean more toward the emotional and intellectual side of the triangle. For example, right away he uses an intellectual appeal when he says, " Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation." Here King is referring to Abraham Lincoln and he even quotes him by saying, "five score years ago.." (Although Lincoln says, "Four score and seven years ago...") Another intellectual example is when he says, "When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." In this quote he is reaching out to everyone and saying that when our country was founded, not only were rights given to white people, but, to black people as well. (Rights were given to everyone!) An example of the material is, "We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities." Not only is King stating material points but he is also stating emotional because this type of brutality deeply affected many people, both emotionally and physically. His speech is deeply rooted towards the emotional side of the triangle. For example when he says, "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." This quote is very affective, especially to those who were former slaves, knew former slaves, etc. Martin Luther King Jr. was an ambitious man with a dream, and needless to say, it came true.
ReplyDeleteI think the Martin Luther King Jr. Speech is well balanced in the golden means triangle, however, i think the most apparent appeal is material, especially near the end. He uses many concrete examples like...
ReplyDelete"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers...
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
However, he also uses many intellectual appeals. For example in the beginning,
"In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the 'unalienable Rights' of 'Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds."
Finally, he uses emotional appeals the least. Even though its an emotional topic and he talks about emotional stuff, i don't think he is making full use of appealing to our emotional side. He doesn't say anything just to make us feel bad, he never says something like "Whites should feel horrible at how badly we are treated" or anything like that. I think this could have been on purpose. He's not saying this so people feel bad, he's saying it for people to understand. I think he realized the topic by itself tugs at people's emotions enough that he didn't have to put in specific emotional appeals. However he does use some like when he says
"But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition."
I would plot Martin Luther King's speech directly in the middle of the Golden Mean triangle. I think he does a great job incorporating all three of the characteristics in his speech. He leans more towards the intellectual side in the beginning when he discusses the Emancipation Proclamation and what is written in the Declaration of Independence. He then shifts to the emotional side when he says "There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, 'When will you be satisfied?' We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality." or when he says "We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: 'For Whites Only.'" This appeals to the audience's emotions because Dr. King is using examples from their life to show them how things are bad. Martin Luther King also uses the material side of things to convey his message to the people. For example, he says "Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." He also says "Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood" He uses material things to show the audience what he is trying to say. Towards the end of the speech, Dr. King uses more of the emotional aspect of things to relay his message. I think this speech was very well-written and I think Dr. King is considered one of the best writers because he is able to use all three aspects in his writing.
ReplyDeleteI would put MLK's speech in the middle of the Golden Mean Triangle, because even though he leans to certain points during his speech, he does so at the right times so that his overall speech is still balanced. For example, he chooses to open his speech with intellectual statements that will give the listeners reference and context as to what his speech will be about. In his second line, he says, "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation." He uses this word choice to appeal to people's intellect; the words "five score" call to mind Abraham Lincoln's own famous speech, the Gettysburg Address, in which he was also encouraging a divided nation. Alluding to or quoting from American documents such as the Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence allows Dr. King to make intelligent arguments on why black people should be treated equally and more importantly, provides a strong introduction for his speech. He proves that he knows what he's talking about. His next segment of his speech uses material facts to make his argument that the time to act is now. He compares the black people's struggle for equal rights to a "sweltering summer," and a check that they are cashing. He uses material metaphors to let people imagine the horrors that he is talking about. Most of these material appeals tug at people's emotions too, such as the line, "We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." At the end of his speech, Dr. King chooses to use the anaphoric phrase "I Have a Dream," to appeal to people emotionally and really bring his argument home. Dr. King chooses to appeal strongly to the emotions last because he wants to leave a lasting feeling, he knows that most of his words will not be remembered. He uses his dream, a material thing, to appeal to people's emotions, especially about the more abstract future. He says, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
ReplyDeleteMLK uses all three points of the triangle well to make his argument for the equal treatment of blacks. You can tell because although no one may be able to remember exactly what he says in the speech, everyone is still left with a feeling of awe when they hear it.
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ReplyDeleteI plotted Martin Luther King Jr's speech in the center of the triangle since there are all aspects of the intellectual, the emotional, and the material in his speech. He seems to spread out his different forms of appeal evenly throughout the paper. At times though, it is hard to tell if the appeal MLK is making is distinctively one of the three. Oftentimes, the appeal he makes could be a mix, which is also another reason I thought his speech was very effective.
ReplyDeleteFor material and intellectual, MLK makes a very effective reference to articles written by the US that should allow blacks to have equal rights as whites. For example, He cites the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as areas which should allow everyone "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." MLK also says "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."" which is a direct reference to the Declaration of Independence. This is an effective and persuasive, material argument because it cites concrete and grounded reasons in governmental literature as to why equal rights should be distributed. It's also intellectual because he knows educated people would know what those documents said
As for emotional, MLK uses this as a persuasive technique as well. In the opening introduction to the speech, he presents a vivid image of the black man. "One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition." After hearing that introduction, you get the image of that man in your mind and it makes you feel bad for them. It makes you want to help them and perhaps fix their problems. Another place in which he implements emotion is when he talks about everyone as a family, a traditionally good and emotional image. "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood… I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Furthermore, MLK uses the intellectual to appeal to the religious listeners. He tells the listeners that "Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children." He even talks about how God, or the Lord, would agree with him that everyone should have equal rights. Especially in the form he ends his speech, he says "we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual… Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" That's a very strong and effective intellectual appeal that MLK makes.
I would place Martin Luther King's speech in the center of the Golden Mean Triangle as well. The "I Have a Dream" uses intelectual, emotional, and material appeals in order to grasp into our very souls and convince us that African Americans are free people too. I would consider this one of the greatest peices of persuasive writing in history because of its fame and the social change its speaker brought about. It is in the center of this triangle because the speech has an equal emotional, material, and intellectual appeal. MLK begins with the citing of the Constitution and Declaration where he appeals to our intellectual side by quoting the inallienable rights of men, "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."This appeals to our intellectual side because of people begin to question why this racism occurs and would possibly decide to try and end it somehow. An emotional part of the speech was "We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back." This is such an excellent example of emotional appeal becuase it churns up emotions inside of you; it also has a weight to it that adds to the emotion. An example of an material side is "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood" because it is a very visual sentence. I can picture a both white and black people sitting at a table together. This is essential to the speech because it gets this image inside of your head where you can feel it and it becomes a reality to you. The "I Have a Dream" speech is so well known and read because of its appeal to anyone: those who are drawn to emotional, material, or intellectual things.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this beautiful speech would be placed in the center of the golden triangle. He used emotions, ethics, and intellectual points to establish his argument.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King Jr. used his emotions to appeal to the black and excite the crowd. When he mentions breaking the chains of segregation and oppression, he is attempting to appeal to all the blacks who have endured such hardships. He is very successful.
He portrays his intellectual knowledge when incorporates high-leveled vocabulary with dexterity. He refers to the Emancipation Proclamation in order to state one of his valid points (material). Also his intellectual side of the speech would draw the attention of his rather elite audience whom were capable of influencing many people. This might have been strategically used to appeal to congress showing that MLK was not a simple preacher for good but had an intellectual background.
To add on to the material side of his speech, MLK successfully referenced other important documents to his speech. "Five score," refers to the Gettysburg address which was written by President Lincoln. Other references likewise helped MLK express his perspective on segregation very clearly.
With all these points stated I believe that his creed (I have a dream part) was used to grab the attention of all of the audience and blow the minds of any opposition.
I would have to place Martin Luther King Jr. speech smack dab in the middle of the Golden Mean Triangle because the intellectual, emotional, material are all used with such great power and all used at the correct time. For example he used the intellectual when talking about the older documents in american history such as the Emancipation Proclamation and also the Declaration of Independence. These two documents appeal to our intellect because it was something that happened in the US history and the impact that these two documents had on the way that USA is ran to this day. Nextly it appeals to our emotion when he brings up "We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: 'For Whites Only.'" This quote gets to the emotional side of the triangle for me because I put my self in that spot and thinking about it if I saw that sign on the door,a restaurant, etc. saying that I wasn't welcomed in to that particular place. It appealed to the Material when he says " we can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities." because these things are all true in the fact that they happened and will continue to happen. Also because of the imagery he uses in the sentences it makes it feel as if you are right there looking at this happen and thats material it being right in front of you.
ReplyDeleteDr. King I believe has perfected the Golden Mean Triangle and this is why he is one of the greatest leaders of all times.
I would plot this speech towards the middle, but closer to the emotional side. He uses many adjectives that indicate the tone of his sentence such as in "the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination." Many people thought that segregation was a good thing, however by describing it as having manacles that crippled the Negros, he is setting a negative tone. He also appeals to an emotional audience when he says, "the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity." This allows us to see the Negro as a victim, all alone and foments feelings of pity. A third example of this is when he states, "In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force." This appeals to the emotions against violence. It demonstrates that we should not do anything through hatred, a very common emotion towards Negros at the time, and instead they should conduct themselves with dignity. It also says that regardless of what others did to them ,they should not physically fight back. He guilts them into doing this by appealing to their emotions and placing their dignity on the line. Saying that a dignified person would fight with "soul force" rather than violence. However, there are also many examples of material writing such as, "We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: 'For Whites Only.'" This is a concrete example of how they are affected by the segregation. Another place where he uses this is when he says, "We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities." because this paints a picture of one of the daily struggles a Negro must face due to discrimination. He also demonstrates writing appealing to the intellectual audience by saying, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'" This takes something straight from an upstanding document that the country lives by. This appeals to their intellect and logic by showing them how we are defying the very rules that this country was built on. Another example is when he says, "This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the 'unalienable Rights' of 'Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'" Because he is again showing the intellectual people how they are defying an important document. Overall, I think this speech is well-balanced, but leans a bit more the emotional side because of his audience.
ReplyDeleteI think that MLK's I Have A Dream speech should go right in the center of the triangle. It appeals to our emotional, intellectual and material sides. Overall, it is a very effective speech.
ReplyDeleteHere are some examples of how he uses the emotional, intellectual, and material to persuade his audience:
Emotional- MLK panders to our emotions on several occasions, but the most effective moment is when he says "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." It appeals to the emotional side of us all because we can realte to having hopes and dreams for the people we love.
Intellectual- He uses documents such as the Declaration of Independance to target our logical side.
Material- Many of the appeals that he makes in his speech have to do with material, tangible things, which help the audience to picture what he is talking about. For example, he compares the injustices his race has suffered to being written a bad check by America. Also, the snetance where he talks about the "sons of slaves and sons of former slave owners" sitting down at the same table is very material: I can picture the scene perfectly.
I have to agree with everyone before me and say that Martin Luther King Jr's speech belongs directly in the middle of the Golden Mean Triangle.
ReplyDeleteHe starts off with a vivid image when he talks about the slaves who were "seared in the flames of withering injustice." This metaphor is great for the material and emotional part because you not only get the horrifically chilling image of people being burned, but you almost feel their pain. I say almost because I understand that we could never comprehend what a lot of those people went through, but MLK does a wonderful job of using a harsh image to try and get us to understand a little bit.
He does an ever greater job with the emotional later in the speech. After the America lyrics, he repeats the phrase "let freedom ring" and mentions highlights of several states. This is emotional because it makes it personal. It reminds people of how great America is and how we should truly "let freedom ring" from every inch of it. This is also a good example for material.
The intellectual parts of the speech were spread throughout it. For example, MLK starts off with mentioning the Emancipation Proclamation. Being a debater, I admire his immediate use of facts, because we are taught to always have facts (especially ones that people will recognize) in order to get our point across. I think Martin Luther King Jr. did a really great job with this speech!
The “I have a Dream” speech created by Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most brilliantly crafted speeches ever. It uses all three points of the “Golden Mean” triangle of literature in order to convey its message that black people should be treated as equals to whites. While showing perfect mastery of each of the three points of the triangle, I feel that he focuses this speech mainly about the emotional point in his speech. This is evident when he says, “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”, This quote appeals to the emotions of his listeners because he makes them hear the sad stories and feelings that African Americans are going through during that time. This would make people end of feeling sorry for the African Americans and wanting to support them. But, this is not the only way that he tries to get people to support his cause, he also appeals to their intellect. He does this when he says, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This direct reference to the Constitution, which would get people thinking why they are turning their backs on what the document that formed their great home is saying. This would make intelligent people start to think maybe we should support African American rights. And finally, MLK appeals to our material thoughts. He ends up talking about voting and says this, “We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote”. This makes an appeal to the material thoughts of people because it shows the names of States. This and the fact it talks about actual scenarios of people not voting, makes the speech seem actual realistic. This appeals to the material vertex of the triangle because of its realistic qualities and using states names.
ReplyDeleteI think that Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech is almost in the center of the triangle, but is slightly closer to the emotional point. While it uses all three methods of persuasion very effectively, much of the speech is designed to stir strong emotion, which it achieves.
ReplyDeleteThe speech makes an intellectual argument by citing the Declaration of Independence as proof that the United States is built upon the concept of all people being equal. He also argues that by the definition of freedom, America is not a free nation until all of its citizens are free.
MLK uses the concrete many times while giving vivid, specific examples, such as children having to see "For Whites Only" signs and his dream of people of all races being able to "to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, [and] to stand up for freedom together".
However, these concrete images, because they are so vivid and powerful, also fuel the emotional side of King's speech. Because we can imagine what he describes so clearly, it has lots of emotional impact. In addition, many of the statements in this speech that have a lot of emphasis, such as "We cannot turn back", add a lot of emotional power to this speech
I believe that Dr. King was not quite in the center of the Golden Mean triangle. He is a little off of because he doesn't use as much bodily material in his writing. He uses more intellectual and emotional styles in his speech. He uses a lot of metaphors, like "Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood." This is an example of how he makes so many comparisons in his speech. His caparisons usually involve the treatment of the African-American people to what it should be. He also uses quite a few emotional parts, too. For example, Dr. King says,"when we allow freedom ring... we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children... will be able to join hands and sing...: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" He tells of how he believes that they should be treated, as equals to all. However, Dr. King doesn't use many physical examples. His physical examples dont usually use amounts of a physical substance, but rather amounts of time. He uses examples like, "One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination." This example is about how long since the Emancipation Proclamtion was signed without a proper change in the treatment of African-Americans.
ReplyDeleteI think MLK’s speech leans towards the intellectual-emotional area of the triangle. I feel that he was trying to get America to really realize how they were acting at that time. He made them think about the way black people were treated and that “all men are created equal.”
ReplyDeleteIntellectual--“America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds," educates the way America has treated the Negroes.
Emotional-“the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination,” explains the way the black people felt due to the laws of segregation.
Material-America “will be able to join hands” shows the optimism that he had to end racism.
I think that Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream Speech” is almost equally balanced in the Golden Mean Triangle. He uses the intellectual very well, but he overuses the emotional and doesn’t use a lot of materialistic persuasion.
ReplyDeleteI think the speech didn’t include many examples of the material part of the triangle, but he uses a lot of metaphors, such as “This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.” Also, he uses the intellectual very well by giving us facts from sources such as the Declaration of independence when he says “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
He uses a lot of detail about life for Negros that makes the emotional the strongest method of persuasion in his speech. He also uses facts to help cause emotions, so I would definitely say that the emotional outbalances both the intellectual and the material.